Cutting non-ferrous metals. Welding of non-ferrous metals - how not to spoil expensive communications? Flux cutting equipment

laser cutting metal based on using a focused laser beam usually controlled by a computer. The laser beam is characterized by directivity, monochromaticity and coherence. The properties of the laser beam make it possible to focus it on a small area of the material and create a high energy density sufficient to destroy this material.

Cutting metals and alloys

When exposed to a laser beam the metal heats up and begins to melt. Further heating leads to an increase in temperature to the boiling point and evaporation of the metal. Cutting of metals and alloys can be carried out both by melting and by evaporation. In practice, melting is more commonly used because evaporation requires a higher laser power.

During the cutting process, gas is supplied under pressure to the treated area, which allows to increase the thickness of the metal being processed, increase the cutting speed and reduce energy costs. Currently laser cutting uses air, oxygen, nitrogen or an inert gas. The oxygen used in laser cutting causes oxidation of the metal, reducing the reflection of the laser beam, generates additional heat due to the combustion of the metal in oxygen, and blows out the molten metal and combustion products from the cut area.

Laser cutting methods

Exist two ways of laser cutting. For metals that ignite below the burning point (titanium and mild steel), melting is carried out due to the heat of combustion of the metal. Metals that form refractory oxides and do not burn until melted (aluminum, copper, high carbon steels), cut by melting and removing liquid metal with a gas jet.

Types of lasers

Used in laser cutting machines solid-state, gas, slit and gas-dynamic lasers. Solid-state lasers use ruby, neodymium, neodymium glass, and yttrium aluminum garnet as the working medium. Solid state lasers have a low power (from 1 to 6 kW) and a wavelength of 0.7 to 1 micron. Apply lasers in continuous and pulse modes radiation. The pulse mode allows you to reduce energy consumption.

In gas lasers the working fluid is a mixture of gases (carbon dioxide, helium and nitrogen). Excitation of the gas is carried out by an electric discharge. The power of gas lasers reaches 20 kW. In slit lasers pumping is carried out at a high frequency, which increases the stability of the discharge. The slit design provides better heat removal from the laser active medium. Slit gas CO2 lasers are the most efficient. Slit lasers use continuous and frequency-pulse mode of radiation. CO2 lasers operate at a wavelength of about 10 µm.

The principle of operation of gas-dynamic lasers is based on the emission of coherent radiation by a gas during cooling of a gas heated to a temperature of 1000 to 3000 K and exiting a nozzle with supersonic speed. Gas-dynamic lasers make it possible to obtain a maximum power of more than 150 kW.

Solid-state lasers are mainly used for metal cutting., since at the wavelength of a solid-state laser, metals have a maximum absorption value. Carbon dioxide lasers are suitable for processing almost any material: both metals and non-metals. Laser cutting of metal is carried out on installations with a power of 500 W or more, and for cutting non-ferrous metals, an installation power of 1 kW is required.

Laser cutting of steel

Laser cutting of carbon steel grades is carried out using oxygen. Due to the reaction of the metal with oxygen, more than 3 times more heat is released than from the laser radiation itself. When cutting with oxygen, a high quality cut is obtained. Sheet steel cutting at low speeds, it can cause overheating and uncontrolled combustion of the metal behind the cutting zone, which leads to an increase in the width and roughness of the cut. In some cases (cutting holes of small diameter) steel cutting is carried out using inert gases instead of oxygen.

cutting of stainless steel laser is characterized by slagging of the cut with alloying elements and the formation of refractory oxides. Oxides have low fluidity and are difficult to remove from the cutting zone. Therefore, laser cutting of stainless steel, especially chromium-nickel and high-chromium grades, is carried out when nitrogen is supplied to the cutting zone under high pressure.

Copper laser cutting

Laser cutting of copper, as well as cutting of brass, aluminum and its alloys, has a number of features. These metals have high thermal conductivity and low absorption capacity for laser radiation at the wavelength of a carbon dioxide laser. These metals are cut with high power solid state lasers. Copper cutting is performed for sheets of small thickness (up to 2 mm) with a laser operating in a pulsed-periodic mode. Laser cutting of brass gives a porous, rough cut surface with a burr on the lower edge, and with a large sheet thickness, the surface quality becomes worse.

Laser cutting mode

The cutting width, cutting quality and other parameters depend on the operating mode of the laser machine. The laser cutting mode is determined by the radiation power, cutting speed, the diameter of the focused spot, the type of gas used and its pressure. In addition, the pulsed mode is characterized by the repetition frequency and duration of the pulses and the average radiation power.

Advantages and disadvantages of laser cutting

Laser cutting of metal provides a number of advantages that allow you to make a choice in its favor:

ability to cut any materials;
obtaining high-quality and narrow cuts;
minimum deformation of the material;
high accuracy;
low price of laser cutting of metal with high quality;
high degree automation.

The disadvantages of the method of laser cutting of metal include the fact that laser cutting sheet metal has a limitation in sheet thickness (up to 40 mm), as well as the high cost of the equipment itself and its maintenance.

"A-Zavod" provides services for laser cutting of metal on favorable terms for customers. If you need laser cutting of metal in Moscow, our specialists will carry out the necessary work in the optimal time and at a high level. The cost of laser cutting of metal does not depend on the batch size, but is determined by the operating time of the equipment.

Laser cutting of non-ferrous metals is not like similar processing of carbon steel. This is due to the fact that, in view of their high thermal conductivity, they have a low ability to absorb laser energy, which creates certain difficulties in their processing.

The company "MetalProcess" offers to use the services of laser cutting of various non-ferrous metals on modern equipment "TRUMPF".

Features of cutting non-ferrous metals with a laser

In order to obtain a high-quality cut surface and avoid the appearance of burrs (formed burrs, in the form of frozen drops), it is very important to correctly observe all technological regimes of the process.

So for cutting aluminum and alloys based on it, it is necessary to use a gaseous environment of nitrogen or oxygen. The gas is selected depending on the thickness of the material. It is necessary for blowing out the resulting molten metal from the cut cavity.

Unlike aluminum, solid-state lasers are used to cut copper-based alloys. Obtaining the required cut roughness is provided by the pulse mode of the emitter.

Advantage of laser technology

Compared with traditional methods, the use of laser cutting can significantly improve the efficiency of manufacturing various parts. Among the main advantages are:

Precise observance of the specified geometric dimensions. The possibility of obtaining a batch of blanks with identical parameters and a complex contour.
Due to the point effect of thermal energy, warping of the workpiece does not occur. This allows cutting very thin metal sheets.
The material during processing is not subjected to external mechanical stress. This makes it possible to process easily deformable workpieces.
High quality cutting surface. No need to apply machining to clean it up.
High cutting speed.
Possibility of obtaining holes of very small diameter.
Full automation. Thanks to this, human participation in the process is minimized.
Minimum waste.

Laser cutting of non-ferrous metals at MetalProcess

The high power of our equipment allows us to laser cut non-ferrous metals in Moscow with a thickness of:

aluminum and alloys based on it - 20 mm;
copper and alloys based on it - 10 mm.

Main points of our work:

Use of own materials;
Delivery of manufactured parts to the customer;
Competitive prices;
For manufacturing, a sketch of the part in any graphic format is sufficient.

Limitation! Minimum cost order - 5000 rubles.

To clarify the price of our services, fill out the form on our website or call

Prices for cutting non-ferrous metal, rub. per meter of cut.

The price is for Rz40 cut.

Material/Thickness							Over 20mm

brass, copper
Titanium
Dural, aluminum

The minimum order amount is 5000 rubles, excluding the cost of the material.

All prices are inclusive of VAT.

Many types of non-ferrous metals, having undoubted advantages, are quite capricious for cutting. Cutting is understood as the separation of the required part, i.e. a certain workpiece, from the whole material. There are classic types of cutting - mechanical, with the help of cutting tools, and thermal cutting. Thermal - cutting metal using heating: oxygen, plasma, laser. As well as innovative technology- . Non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, its alloy duralumin, copper, brass, titanium are difficult to cut mechanically due to their significant thermal conductivity and viscosity.

Advantages of the waterjet cutting method

From thermal cutting, oxy-fuel is the most in demand. But most non-ferrous metals do not lend themselves to this cutting method. Plasma cutting is capable of processing non-ferrous metals, but, being thermal, it deprives non-ferrous metals of their special physical and technological properties. Laser cutting is more modern method, but not all non-ferrous metals can handle it, for example: aluminum and titanium have strong reflective properties, so the laser power is simply not enough for the entire thickness of the metal.
Waterjet cutting is a cutting method that affects all materials. The essence of the method is to process the workpiece with a thin, hair-like jet of water under enormous pressure with the addition of an abrasive material (pomegranate sand). Waterjet cutting technology is the most accurate and high-quality way to cut non-ferrous metals and not only.
It has great advantages:

There is no thermal effect on metals, since the working temperature of the cut is (60-90 ºС);
The material consumption rate is very small;
The processed thickness of materials can be 200 mm;
Processing of thin-sheet metals assembled in a package of a couple of layers is envisaged, which makes it possible to increase productivity many times over;
The contours of the cut can be any, even very intricate;
The process of the work performed is quite safe, since flammable and explosive materials are not used;
High degree of environmental friendliness;
The quality of the resulting surface very often does not require additional machining.

It lends itself to all metals, and sufficiently reflective or superhard, and bimetals, and composite materials. Copper, aluminum, duralumin, brass, titanium - all these and many other metals can be processed without problems by this cutting method, which is now one of the most progressive. Waterjet cutting has found wide application in the aviation and space industries, as it makes it possible to cut super-hard materials such as titanium and other composite materials.

Application of non-ferrous metals

Without non-ferrous metals, it is impossible to imagine any industry. Let's take titanium. It differs from other structural materials in its high specific strength with its lightness and heat resistance, while having excellent corrosion resistance. Therefore, most of it goes to the needs of aviation, rocket technology and marine shipbuilding, and its biological safety makes it an excellent material for the food industry and reconstructive surgery. According to its use as a structural material, titanium occupies the 4th place, yielding its positions to aluminum, Fe and Mg.
Due to its undeniable useful properties - lightness, resistance to air and organic acids - aluminum and duralumin (an alloy with copper, magnesium and manganese) are widely used in technology. Aluminum is a worthy competitor to copper in the electrical field. Without it, chemical and food industry. Duralumin is indispensable in radio engineering, in construction. Classically, we cannot imagine aircraft construction without duralumin - because of its combination of strength and lightness.
Copper and the electrical industry are an inseparable concept. It has a number of valuable qualities: high electrical and thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance and others. Thanks to them, it is used in radio electronics and instrumentation. Its alloy - brass - has higher strength compared to copper, and is more widely used in mechanical engineering.

There are several common methods for cutting non-ferrous metal, depending on the type and density of the product. Non-ferrous metal cutting takes place at high temperatures. If the product needs accuracy and a perfect edge, mechanical cutting is used. This also includes countersinking, metal drilling, grinding, turning and milling.

There are several popular methods for cutting non-ferrous metal, the first class of accuracy:

cutting with a grinder;
cutting by guillotine.

Laser cutting is one of the cutting edge technologies. The essence of cutting is the effect of a laser beam on the metal. A large concentration of energy in it forms a hole on the metal sheet, where part of the material evaporates, and part of the molten metal is blown out by a powerful stream of gases under high pressure.

Laser cutting is widely used in the shape cutting of metal sheets. It allows you to model parts of any shape, the edges of which remain perfectly smooth, not requiring grinding. The method eliminates product deformation, but is suitable for small metal thicknesses (up to 5 mm).

Plasma cutting of non-ferrous metals is carried out using a mixture of gases that are supplied under pressure. As a result, there is a partial burnout, melting and blowing of the metal under the pressure of the gas flow. This method cutting takes place under the influence of high temperatures, reaching 15,000-20,000 degrees Celsius and is applied to almost all types of metal. Plasma cutting is highly productive, it is many times faster than laser, mechanical and waterjet cutting. After such cutting, the edges of the metal are uniform, without irregularities and do not require additional processing. Plasma cutting is considered the most economical metal cutting method.
Plasma cutting is widely used for cutting aluminum and its alloys, copper, stainless steel.

Waterjet cutting is versatile and suitable for almost any kind of metal. It is based on a mixture of water and abrasive sand, which is fed under pressure through a narrow nozzle. The method is suitable for working with both conductive and non-conductive materials. The edge of the cut is even, does not require refinement. The thickness of the cut metal reaches 300 mm. Waterjet cutting is ideal for working with aluminium, copper, brass and bronze. Sometimes this is the only way to make a product from these alloys.

Band saw cutting is of high productivity, and the speed of the band saw is more than 100 mm per minute. The incision site is smooth and does not require grinding. The disadvantage of this cutting is the limitation of the size of the cut-off parts, since the length of the band saw is taken into account.

Cutting metal with a grinder is popular, but low productive. Used for small and medium diameter metal products. Scales and oxides may form at the cut site, not suitable for cutting curly parts. When cutting aluminum high density, kerosene is dripped onto the seam. It is important to observe all safety measures here so that a fire does not occur.

Cutting non-ferrous metal with a guillotine is a set of scissors and knives that are used in procurement work. The method does not differ in jewelry accuracy; it is not used for curly cutting.

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